'I spotted Samantha in a TV commercial'

Samantha became an instant success in Tollywood after Gautham Vasudev Menon introduced her in Ye Maya Chesave, a remake of Vinnai Thaandi Varuvaayaa. But much before Ye Maya…, the chirpy girl was lured to the tinsel world by none other than cinematographer-turned-filmmaker Ravi Varman when he offered her the lead role in his debut directorial Moscowin Kaveri.

“I spotted her as one among four girls in a commercial and felt that she had the potential to make it big. She has a charming face and was exactly the kind of girl I was looking for. I have been proved right today. She has the right combination of homely and glam look. She will be the next Revathy of Kollywood,” assures Ravi.

The film, he says, is about the romances of today’s youngsters, which is neither steady nor strong. “Love has become a matter of convenience. It is based on situations and needs. I kept the title as a metaphor – Moskva is a river in Russia and Kaveri is the river in south India. The hero and the heroine share a strange relationship and with different attitudes. Love is like water and no one can measure its depth. It has a strong message for the society.” The movie features Rahul Ravindhran and Harshavardhan and has music by Thaman. “In fact, it was I who introduced Thaman to the Tamil industry. I knew him as a drummer when I did clash work for Shankar’s Boys (where he played one of the boys). He was very promising and when I got the opportunity to wield the megaphone, I immediately chose him as the music composer. Now, he has given five soulful tunes to Vairamuttthu sir’s lyrics,” he says.

He says donning the director’s cap is a lot of responsibility. “As a cinematographer, when I did films like Anniyan, Dasavatharam and Vettayadu Vilayadu, my focus was only on my work. But after I became a director, I realised it’s the toughest task and if you succeed, then the credit goes to the entire team. On the other hand, you are responsible for the project’s failures.” Moscowin Kaveri, which has taken a long time for its release, will hit cinema halls by next Friday.